1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved hammer for a hammer mill.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The subject hammers are commonly used in hammer mills which, in turn, are used to process or shred automobiles or other sheet steel scrap products. The hammer mill type shredder comprises a plurality of large discs or rotors which rotate about the axis of a main drive shaft. A plurality of hammers are pivotally attached to pairs of rotors by hinge pins along an axis parallel to the rotor drive shaft. The hammers project beyond the outer surface of the rotors and strike the material to be shredded.
It is essential to have the hammers swing freely about their hinge pins in order to shred scrap effectively. If the hammers are not able to swing freely, the rotors can be damaged and/or the hinge pins can be broken when the hammers impact the scrap material. During operation of the shredder, shredded scrap or small unshreddable pieces, such as bearings, can wedge between a hammer and an adjacent rotor and prevent the hammer from swinging about its hinge pin. Consequently, it is desirable to provide a means to prevent scrap from wedging between hammers and rotors.